Classic New Hampshire: Antrim Home and Harvest Festival

Painted Mural - Town Hall, Antrim NH

In mid-September, New England Fall Events took a road trip to scenic Antrim, NH to check out the annual Home and Harvest Festival. Antrim is a tiny, scenic, rural town with the quintessential white steeple church and charming town hall. The lovely park and gazebo situated along the river behind the town center are postcard pretty. The overcast morning soon gave way to blue skies and perfect crisp fall weather and it was ideal for the day’s festivities.

Scenic Bridge in Antrim, NH

The Antrim Home and Harvest Festival is a 2-day, weekend festival and we attended on Saturday morning through early afternoon. We arrived right around 10:00am and scored a lucky curbside parking spot quite close to the town center. There were dozens of activities scheduled from morning through night yet there was just the right amount of time cushioned in between to wander, soak up the atmosphere, catch some live music, and explore the craft vendors. 

 Always popular face painting booth 

My young nephews (just 3 and 5 ½) were immediately drawn to the face painting booth (for a small fee). The craft vendors were set up on the front lawns of local businesses, churches, and houses and there was a church yard sale towards the edge of the town center. Live music was being played down the street a bit as well. (Note to organizers--why not set the band up closer to the town center where we could all enjoy?)

The festival clearly drew people of all ages, including plenty of teens and seniors, but it was a perfect festival for children to have a great time. While we were there the crowds were never so large or dense that you couldn’t easily spot your children and with the town center closed to through traffic, it was safe for the little ones as well.  

Waiting in anticipating for the parade 

The festival itself was free and any “extras” like BBQ, burgers, hot dogs, etc were very affordable. I can’t resist giving a huge shout out to the local businesses sponsored the ever-popular bouncy houses, giant inflatable slides, and super trampoline—their sponsorship allowed everyone to partake in these attractions totally free. And partake my nephews did! It was a nice change to not have to shell out for every little thing which added to the charm of the day. The lines were never terribly long and the folks who managed the admission/lines for these attractions were easygoing and flexible (i.e. holding everyone’s spot in line while everyone left at the same time to catch the parade).

Plentiful NH fire engines on parade
to the delight of young kids!

The highlight for us was the parade at 11:30am. My nephews couldn’t get enough of the various fire engines from Antrim and other local towns—and it’s a good thing because there were plenty of emergency vehicles, race cars, and tractors to delight them! Local businesses sponsored sweet hand-decorated parade floats and many passed out candy. The requisite local marching bands and scout troops also joined in the parade fun and the Christmas tree costumes parading through promoting November’s local Festival of Trees event were delightful.

The skateboard competitions were held at the skate park across the river behind the town hall—perhaps a 5 minute walk-- and this is definitely where the teens seemed to congregating but there were also a handful playing Wii upstairs in the Town Hall. (A good idea to have this backup activity handy in case it rained after all!)

Pizza Guy was a huge hit

I was genuinely excited to witness the Corn Cob Eating Competition (go ahead, laugh but I love these type of things) and I’d circled that on my must-see list when I saw this featured on the Antrim website events calendar. However, when I went to the Town Hall to check it out, the competition was nowhere to be found. I searched and asked around about it but no one knew what I was talking about. Finally, we located a poster hung up on the wall and inexplicably, the competition was not on the printed poster at all. I have no idea whether the text calendar on the website had the competition as a typo but this would be my only disappointment about the visit. It was a great idea and I hope they bring it back!

The Saturday evening lineup included a big BBQ, more live bands, and fireworks at Tenney Farm a few miles down the road. I was sorry to miss these because I am sure they were a hit and a wonderful way to bring the townsfolk together.  If you are making Antrim a family road trip, consider finding a place to stay overnight so you can partake in these evening events as well.

The Antrim Home and Harvest Festival was definitely a classic, sweet-natured community festival and there’s a nice non-commercial vibe about the whole affair. It’s a very nice destination for people of any age but especially families looking for a fun, charming fall experience with good atmosphere and without the overwhelming crowds.

This year the Antrim Home and Harvest Festival will take place Friday and Satuday September 16-17th, 2015 in Antrim, NH. Visit their event listing here. Their full schedule of events can be found here.

Antrim Home and Harvest Tips:

Lovely church steeple
in downtown Antrim, NH

• Drive the speed limit (which is lower than you think). There were lots of cops with radars sitting in wait along the quiet back country roads --the only kind of roads to get you to Antrim.
• Antrim is in a rural region of NH. Cell signals can spotty in this area.
• For town center street parking, arrive close to 10:00am (arrive later and you'll be diverted to designated overflow parking on High Street with a shuttle to take to you town).
• Bring cash--Most food and craft vendors do not accept plastic.
• The festival and most events are ADA Accessible as many events take place outside in downtown Antrim or inside town buildings. (not sure about the events at Tenney's Farm - call ahead!
• Not many gluten-free or healthier food options at all if this is important to you.   
• On your way out of town, NH's own preservative- and additive-free Annabelle’s ice cream is worth the stop at scenic Tenney Farm!

My nephew proudly and fiercely
sporting his skull face painting.

Family Tips for Attending the Home and Harvest Festival:

• The festival and most events are stroller-friendly.
• Great festival if you have very young children—plenty of space to move, parks nearby if you want to spread out or picnic, face painting for a small fee and FREE inflatables! The parade will keep their attention.
• The skateboard competition and virtual downhill skiing will appeal to your older kids and teens.
• The schedule for the weekend's activities are posted on the Antrim Home and Harvest Festival website. Useful for planning ahead.

Fit for Foodies - Wild Mushroom Festival - Mystic, CT

Welcoming to Mushroom Festival Denison
Pequotsepos Nature Center - Mystic, CT

New England Fall Events took an easy road trip down to Mystic, CT to check out a festival devoted to one of our very favorite foods—mushrooms! We didn’t quite know what we were in for but we happily paid to see what was in store.
Remember to to circle Sunday, September 25th, 2016 so you can experience this festival for yourself! 

We arrived at the Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center (DPNC) just before doors opened. With a Sunday farmers’ market wrapping up in the large field adjacent to the parking area, we killed a little time perusing the beautiful late harvest vegetables and stocking up on some local honey. At 2:00 on the nose, we crossed the street and followed the sign down a path to the head of a trail. We paid our admission (less for DPNC members) and in return we were handed tickets to redeem for small plates at the various food booths.

Mushroom-themed Fiber Art

Out of the direct sun and situated under tall pine trees were about two dozen tables, displays, and food booths. This was an educational festival hosted by the DPNC and situated at the front of the festival area were large tables with an elaborate and detailed display of wild mushroom samples, each with a corresponding label for its scientific and common name. 

Volunteers from the Connecticut Valley Mycological Society (a.k.a. “fungi lovers and scientists” to you and me) who were present at the table to answer questions or share interesting facts. Adjacent to the tables was a display of mushroom-themed art created by local schoolchildren and a selection of mushroom-topic children’s books.

Our fantastically entertaining mycologist

Scientists from the CVMS provided visitors with ongoing guided tours of the wooded walking trail where the guide would spot and point out the various fungi growing along the path—on a tree, an old log, or growing in the dirt. The guide would talk about the name, why it grows there, whether it is edible, what other fungi it may be easily mistaken for, etc. 

Our guide herself was also rather entertaining; not only did we learn a ton in a short amount of time about the mushrooms sitting right along our feet, but the sheer passion and admiration that she had for the found fungi was surprising. Yes, you read that correctly—she had a “passion and admiration” for the mushrooms in the way she would handle, cradle, pet, and talk about the found specimens as though they were treasured children. She would hold them up for our group to see and she would peer expertly at them through the mini magnifying glass that hung on a lanyard around her neck. The closer she looked at the fungi, the more she would ooh and coo over the sample all the while describing the personality and style of the mushroom. It was rather delightful and entertaining to see how smitten she was by the various fungi, occasionally referring to some a “these little cuties.” It was impossible not to get drawn in by her appreciation for the mushrooms and we too found ourselves charmed not only by the mushrooms but by our quirky, amusing, and knowledgeable guide as well.

Serving up the wild mushroom menu
to dozens of us happy to partake.

After our tour, with tickets in hand, we followed our noses to the fragrant food booths doling out hearty dishes featuring the celebrated mushroom. Most, if not all, of the mushroom-themed small plates were cooked by the chefs at local restaurants. Each booth really outdid themselves in their preparation of their meal and everything was outstandingly delicious!
We tried  the johnnycakes with sautéed mushrooms, wild mushroom bruschetta, mushroom pizza, mixed mushroom stew and more. Each vendor shared which types of mushrooms they used for the dish which was nice because we could appreciate the variety, texture, and flavor of the glorious fungi. In particular, the wild mushroom stew was truly splendid--the earthy flavor of the delicate broth coupled with the vegetables and firm, fat chunks of chewy mushrooms.

A social and festive atmosphere
with gorgeous New England scenery

The pizza was popular, especially with the handful of kids who were in attendance (this festival seemed to mostly appeal to adults) and I noticed they ran out of pizza very early on, within the first hour. There was a single craft vendor featuring mushroom themed goodies, a small selection of wild mushrooms for sale to take home (nothing unusual), and an area for local wine and coffee. The festival attendees stood casually around the center of the food area chatting and eating their tasty mushroom treats. In our experience, people who love mushrooms tend to really love mushrooms so it’s no surprise that the atmosphere of this event was an enthusiastic, ebullient, and social one. The whole gathering buzzed like a merry cocktail party was underway! Many people seemed to already know each other and, being the 12^th year of this event, it’s a safe bet that this festival is a staple of the Mystic community.

Mushroom specimens at the CT
Mycological Society display

The food tickets that came with our admission garnered us about 2 small plates apiece (the # of tickets redeemed for each food item varied slightly) but, we, being wild about mushrooms, didn’t hesitate to restock our food tickets for an additional fee so we could continue eating our way into blissful fungi oblivion.

We rounded out our food adventures with a scoop of mushroom ice cream which, as best as I can describe, tasted more like vanilla bean flecked with mushrooms (which is probably what it was)—and it was rich and delicious.

We stayed for about 90 minutes in all and during that time the festival became quite convivial as more and more people arrived. Set under the tall trees with sunlight dappling the pine needled floor, it was a truly exquisite New England fall experience. Being late-September, the foliage was really starting to come alive in CT making for a fun, scenic and delicious road trip. We certainly recommend this fascinating festival for nature enthusiasts and foodies alike! It was a lovely afternoon festival that was equal parts educational, jolly, and delectable.

Wild Mushroom Festival Tips:

You couldn't ask for a lovelier
New England setting.

• This educational, social, and memorable experience can be had for under $20 (a reduced rate for DPNC Members) and includes 10 food tickets.  You’d be crazy to stop at 1 or 2 small plates though so bring a little extra cash to buy additional food tickets.
• The admission ticket booth accepted cash and credit cards.
• Wear suitable shoes—the festival is set at the trail head to the woods and if there had been recent rain, I imagine it could be a little mushy. You’ll be glad to have the right shoes for the guided mushroom tours in the woods.
• It would be a wise to wear tick repellent as the entire festival is abutting the scenic woods.
• There were several gluten-free mushroom-themed small plates if that is important to you. However, it's safe to assume the mini-meals the restaurants create for the festival would vary from year to year to keep the experience new, fresh, and interesting.
• This festival takes place rain or shine.
• Plenty of free parking across the street.

Family Tips:

Mushroom specimens at the CT
Mycological Society's display table

• There is plenty for kids to learn about mushrooms and with the main food booths and mushroom displays all organized in a wooden clearing, the festival is quite contained. It is easy to keep track of where the kids are and there’s room for them to move and play, especially up the hill toward the admission booth.
• Kids admission is available at a reduced price (even lower for DPNC members) and comes with 2 food tickets.
• At the risk of stating the obvious, mushrooms haven't exactly earned the reputation as a kid-popular food so parents should understand that mushrooms are the ONLY focus of the food here. There aren't non-fungi foods available so plan accordingly if your kids need a snack.
• The festival is stroller-friendly to a point… The guided trail tours would not be suitable for a stroller due to the narrow wooden walkway at the entrance. The food/main area was roomier when the festival began and did get more crowded as the festival went on.
• Plenty of free parking across the street.

Check out Wild Mushroom event listing here on New England Fall Events.